


Between Life and Death

by DiamondbackMako16



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost Relatives, Magic, Medium(s), Miguel sees dead people, Post Movie, Revenge Plot, Skeletons, Spoilers, friends - Freeform, return to the Land of the Dead, young teenage romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-30 13:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12654669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondbackMako16/pseuds/DiamondbackMako16
Summary: Post Coco Movie.It's been a little over a year since Miguel's little adventure to the Land of the Dead, and Miguel's life couldn't be better...at least, that's what he thought.As it turns out, Miguel's visit to the afterlife has left him with an unexpected side effect.He can see ghosts.And that's not all; A new friend at school has the same gift as him and has a special request...she want's to meet a mysterious relative that claims to be the source she inherited her ability. But the only way to see them is if they go to the Land of the Dead themselves.Will Miguel be up to the task? And what dark plot awaits the duo in the afterlife?





	1. Ghostly Hassles

**Author's Note:**

> Before reading this fic, it's recommended that you read my other Coco fic "The Awakening". It's only two chapters long and serves more as an individual prologue to this story. 
> 
> For those that choose not to read the other fic, here's a short explanation regarding the ghosts Miguel will be seeing. 
> 
> Long story short, the ghosts Miguel is seeing are in a state of purgatory that are awaiting the final afterlife destination (Land of the Dead). They look like their living selves because they have unfinished business and won't get their skeletal forms until they are ready to move on. 
> 
> Also: Italics =Flashback  
> Normal font= Current events  
> " "= Spoken quotes  
> ' '= Internal thoughts
> 
> Final note: This takes place alittle over a year after the movie's epilogue, so Miguel is 14 years old in this fic.  
> So, quick reminder: During the movie events- Miguel is 12 years old  
> During movie epilogue (1 year later)- Miguel is 13 years old  
> During events of this fic (1 year after the epilogue)- Miguel is now 14 years old

Darkness.

Sofness.

Comfort. 

Warmth.

Okay maybe not that warm...it was getting a little cool...

A bit chilly...real chilly...cold.  _Very_ cold...

Oh God, it's _freezing!_  

Miguel shot up, his hands clutching at his upper arms as he shivered, his teeth chattering as condensation puffs left his mouth. 

"W-w-why i-is it-t s-s-so c-cold?!" 

As if to answer his question, small, cold fingers gently brushed against his neck, causing Miguel to shudder and jump out of bed with a yelp.

Still hugging himself for warmth, Miguel turned back to his bed and frowned at his tormentor. 

"C-Carla..." He growled. Go figure the little poltergeist would be the culprit. Ever since his encounter with her at the statue, it seemed as if she had taken a liking to him and decided to make it her afterlife-long goal in giving him a hard time whenever it was convenient...for her at least. 

"Buenos días!" The young ghost giggled as she floated, crossed legged, over his bed. 

Miguel watched her with mild interest as he pulled his blanket off his bed and wrapped it around his shivering body, "Y-yeah buenos d-días, now f-fix my room...it's f-f-freezing!" He wondered if anyone were to walk by his room, if they would feel the low temperature as well, or if this was just something only he could experience due to his...ability...to see people like Carla. 

Carla didn't comply right away, "Aww, are you sure? It's going to be a pretty hot day, I mean...it's only 9 A.M and _already_ it's fairly warm."

"I'm sure. It's bad enough you woke me up early on a Saturday, I don't want to get sick too." Miguel deadpanned. Carla merely rolled her eyes, 

"Fine. Don't be any fun." She retorted, and a moment later the room returned to it's warmer temperature. 

Miguel sighed in satisfaction, "Thank you." He began to lower his blanket when he remembered he was wearing nothing but his white tank top shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. 

Carla laughed as Miguel wrapped the blanket around his waist, a deep blush forming on his cheeks. 

"You need to leave!" He said abruptly. This caused Carla to stop mid laugh and pout. 

"Aww, but I just got here!" 

"I don't care, I need to get dressed, and I can't do that if you're in here!" The young teenager hissed, making sure to keep his voice down. Last thing he needed was someone walking in on him 'talking to himself'. 

To his great relief, Carla relented, "Okay, okay I'll give you your 'privacy' or whatever." 

It was Miguel's turn to roll his eyes. For a ghostly ten-year-old, she was pretty sassy. 

"Just give me a call when you're ready to stop being a grouch and ready to have some fun." The girl began to fade away. 

"A call? How do I do that?" Miguel narrowed his eyes. Honestly, how did you call a ghost? 

Carla reappeared, an incredulous look on her face, "You don't _know_?" 

"No...?" 

Now Carla was the one to narrow her eyes, "You don't know how to summon a ghost?" When Miguel shook his head, Carla put her hands on her hips, "How do you not know how to summon a ghost?" She demanded as if it were something Miguel should have known since day one...whenever day one actually was... 

"Hey I'm new at this! It's not like anyone taught me these things!" Miguel defended. 

The ghost gave an exasperated, and in Miguel's opinion, exaggerated sigh, "I don't know how you're kind do it...it's like you call us in your mind." 

Miguel blinked, "In my mind?" Carla nodded, 

"Yeah, I think you're supposed to focus and call out to us and we'll hear it." 

The human gave a thoughtful, "Hm". That sounded easy enough, why not give it a shot?

Miguel closed his eyes and tried his best to focus. 'Carla?' He called out mentally. 

It remained quite. He cracked an eye open, "Did...did it work? Did you hear me?" 

Carla shook her head, "No." 

"Oh." 

"You really _are_ bad at this."

Miguel glared, "Don't you have some other unsuspecting victim to freak out?" 

If she wasn't going to be of any useful help, then she might as well be on her way. Besides, he was getting a bit uncomfortable standing in front of a ghost in his boxers with only a blanket to cover himself.

Carla stuck her tongue out at him before fading for good. 

Miguel remained where he stood for a few moments, straining his senses to determine if she was really gone or just invisible. 

When he felt confident that she really had left, he dropped his blanket and went about getting ready for the day, his mind replying the recent events. 

Events that hinted in a skill he was supposed to have, yet seemingly lacked...or at the very least, was incredibly weak at. 

Not that his ghost seeing ability was any stronger. Sightings were rare and random. 

Carla insisted that people like him don't see ghosts _all_ the time, just whenever a ghost  _wanted_ to be seen. 

This didn't make Miguel feel any better. 

If anything, it made him feel worse. 

When he finally came to terms on his new ability, he thought he had been given a chance, a way to continue talking to his late relatives. 

He honestly thought he found a way to see Papá Hector and Mamá Imelda and the rest of the family again, and was beyond excited for Día De Los Muertos this past year. 

When the day came, his hopes had risen when he saw the usual, human looking ghosts mingling with their living loved ones, and had no doubt that he would be able to see the skeletal ghosts as well. 

That night, he had left to the cemetery early, in hopes of getting a few private moments with his family...he remembered running to the graveyard and dashing past the gates, only to stop dead in his tracks. 

There were plenty of people yes, but no matter where he looked, he could not see one single skeleton. 

Yeah he caught sight of a 'fleshy' ghost here and there, but no skeletal ones. At least none that he could actually see, which frustrated him to no end as he _knew_ they were there. 

Dejected, he made his way to his family's grave and dropped down in defeat. 

What was the point of having this so called 'gift' if he couldn't use it to see the people that actually mattered to him?

"It's not fair..." He muttered under his breath, knowing that his deceased family was present, "I really want to see you all again." He drew his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. 

Then it happened...

Miguel wasn't exactly sure _what_ it was, but it was like he could sense that someone was there...that _multiple_ someones were there...and most of all, Miguel could have sworn he felt a comforting, bony hand rest on his shoulder. 

The sensation had caused such a rush of excitement that Miguel jerked his head up and twisted around, only to find...nothing...

He wasn't sure if his action had caused whoever was touching him to jerk away in surprise, or if it was because he was suddenly aware of the presence, that the sensation suddenly vanished.  Though, if he had to guess, he would say it was the later as not only did the touch quickly fade away, but any sense of company faded away as well. 

Safe to say, that day was more than disappointing, and the fact that it had happened just last week, made the fresh memory even more painful. 

Miguel clenched his jaw in determination. 

Somehow, one way or another, he was going to figure a way to see his dead relatives again. The wait to die of old age was  _much_ too long. 

Two years of not hearing their voices already seemed like such a long time. How could he manage another sixty or seventy years? He'd go crazy from the wait!

Miguel shook his head. 

No. 

He wasn't going to wait. He was going to do whatever it took to strengthen his ability. After all, there were other people out there like him...Carla said so herself. There were others his age, some older, some younger, that could see what he was seeing...and everyday, they grew stronger, and they learned how to control their 'little gift'. 

If Miguel could learn how to summon a ghost and see them at will, then there was a chance he could see the deceased Rivera's again. Even if meant he could only see them on Día de Los Muertos (what with the magical flower bridge and all)...at least it would give him something to look forwards to every year. 

Miguel pulled on a pair of blue jeans, 'Won't they be surprised when they find out I can see ghosts?' He chuckled to himself as he reached for a black t-shirt, 'They'd probably think I did something to end up as a ghost myself...again.' He pulled the shirt over his head. 'Of course, Mamá Imelda would probably kill me if I somehow ended up back over there.' 

"Or maybe not." He mused out loud as he plopped down onto his bed and shoved one foot into a shoe and began tying it. 

He seriously doubt his great-great grandmother would willingly make him an official and permanent resident in the afterlife. 

Still, the point is, she wouldn't be too happy seeing him over there so soon. 

Miguel had just finished tying his second shoe when a loud knock made him jump. 

He looked up just as his older cousin, Abel swung the door open, a large grin on his face. 

"Good, you're awake!" He greeted before holding up a soccer ball, "One on one?" 

Miguel perked at the invitation and nodded enthusiastically. 

Managing his ability could wait. 

Right now, he had a game to win.  


	2. The New Girl in Town

Gabriela pursed her lips as she tore apart the cardboard box before tossing onto a pile of flattened boxes of various sizes. 

The black and white 'Border Beagle' lounging on the bed, lifted her head and huffed in the pile's direction before turning her attention back to her owner, her lean tail thumping against the cushions softly. 

Gabriela beamed as she dropped down next to her beloved pet and gave her a scratch behind the ears. 

"Well...here we are Bree. Our new, kinda crowded, room." Gabriela surveyed her new dwelling and cringed. Her room back in Texas was a lot bigger and was more than capable of housing her numerous belongings, and thanks to the teal wallpaper that had covered the walls, the room had held a sort of comforting feel to it. She always felt completely at ease in there. 

But here...

Here it was...crowded and...bland. 

Yes one could chalk it up to the fact that she just moved here and she had yet to officially decorate and organize her room, but...how long would it take for this new dwelling to truly feel like her old home? Till she reached that feeling of comfort and safety again? 

"Knock, knock..."

Gabriela looked up at her door and allowed a smile when she saw her mother leaning against the frame, her arms crossed and grey eyes scanning the room. 

"Looks like you're done un-packing, but _not_ quite done organizing." The older woman noted as she took in the mess, a forced smile on her own face.  

Gabriela flinched. 

Dozens of books were pilled in the corner where her bookcase was to be built; stacked precariously on her dresser and awaiting to be sorted into their drawers, were socks, shirts and various other types of clothing; on the already assembled desk lay her art supplies as well as her electronic devices. In her closet hung her jeans and other 'nicer' blouses that she didn't want folded, while on the floor, was a messy pile of shoes, having been carelessly tossed in. Scattered throughout the rest of the room were other miscellaneous objects that were waiting to be put away as well. 

"I'm...working on it. I figured I should take everything out first and then figure out where to put them later. It turned out to be a not so good idea after all..." Gabriela gave her mom a sheepish grin. 

Her mother shrugged, "It's not like the rest of the house is in any better shape." she brushed a stray, strand of blonde hair from her face, casing a quick glance behind her shoulder, grimacing at the clutter around the house. 

"Don't worry mom, i'll get everything sorted. It's just..." Gabriela motioned her hands around the room, "this room, it's so... _tiny_."  

"Well, it's a smaller house. Small house, smaller rooms." The blonde woman moved to sit next to her daughter and wrapped an arm around the young girl's shoulder, "But just  _try_ to grin and bear it. It'll get easier to get use too. And besides, at least we'll be getting a new start. A new house, new town, new  _country_...it's like starting an adventure!" 

Gabriela rolled her eyes at her mother's enthusiasm, but her smile never dropped, "Well yeah but..." 

" _But_ ?" Her mom pressed. 

"Well..." By now Gabriela had started to fiddle with her fingers, "When dad said we'd be moving to Mexico, I thought we'd be moving to _Mexico City_ , or something like that." 

Her mom sighed, "Yeah I thought the same thing...even before we got here, I was expecting something a little... _more..._ but it'll do. Besides _,_ " she got up and sauntered over to the window, "this place  _does_ have a rather charming feel to it." 

"Old school charm." Gabriela added, having gotten up and moved to the window as well. Her mom gave her a playful nudge with her shoulder. 

"Be nice." 

"I know mom, I was just kidding." Gabriela relented. 

"I'll take your word for that. But you know, you've actually got some family history with this town. Apparently your great-great grandfather-"

"Was from here. I know. Dad mentioned it." Gabriela finished. She crossed her arms in thought, "Too bad that's  _all_ we know about him." 

Apparently there wasn't much information about the identity of her ancestor. All Gabriela knew was that her great-great grandmother had a child with a man that apparently had no interest in being a father, and immigrated to the United States shortly before her son was born. The son, Gabriela's great grandfather, never met his father. Never even knew his  _name_. 

Gabriela sighed. Without a name, how could she ever hope to find out more about him? About who he was, about  _why_ he would choose not to take responsibility for his son...

A thought crossed Gabriela's mind...

Did he even know that his own son had grown up and started a family of his own? Did he even know that  _she_ existed? 

God, if she only had a  _name_! With that tiny bit of information, she could have made contact and asked him her many questions...

Silence fell between the two females as they watched the local residents go about their day. 

At one point, a group of kids ran by the window, laughing at the dashed by. Gabriela watched them as they went, and couldn't help forget the mystery of her great-great grandfather in favor of thinking back on how _she_ used to run around San Antonio's suburbs with her own friends. 

"You know," Gabriela looked up at her mother's voice, "You've been working pretty hard helping your dad and I unpack. Why don't you call it a day and take Bree out for a walk. You two can explore for a while. Get familiar with the place and who knows, maybe you'll make some new friends while you're out there."

The young girl perked up, "Really? You sure you guys don't need any more help?" 

"We'll be fine sweetie and besides, it's a Saturday. Go enjoy it." 

Well then, if she insisted...

"Alright, thanks mom! C'mon Bree!" Gabriela wasted no time bolting to the door with Bree close on her heals. 

"The leash is somewhere on the kitchen table!" Her mother called after her. 

Gabriela rummaged through the various items piled on the table until she found what she was looking for. 

Seconds later, the leash was clipped to Bree's teal harness and the two made their way to the front door, "I'll be back before it gets dark!" Gabriela assured as she opened the door. 

"Okay, be careful! Have fun!" Came the reply from one of the other rooms. 

With that, Gabriel closed the door and turned to leave, only to find herself nearly running into her father. 

"Hi dad!" She greeted, taking note of the man standing next to him. 

"Hey mija! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Her father greeted. 

Gabriela pointed to her canine companion, "Mom said Bree and I should go out and explore the town." 

Her father nodded before motioning towards the man, "Sounds good, but before you go, I'd like you to meet Mr. Enrique Rivera. He's the man I met when I came down house hunting a few months ago. In fact, he's the one that told me about this house being for sale." Turning to Mr. Rivera he continued, "Enrique, this is my daughter, Gabriela." 

 Remembering her manners, Gabriela stuck out her hand, "Hello Mr. Rivera, it's so nice to meet you." she greeted as the older man shook her hand. 

"Buenas tardes, Gabriela, it's very nice to meet you too; and who's this?" Enrique laughed as Bree stood up on her hind legs and made to give the new friend a greeting of her own. 

 "Bree! Down girl! I'm  _so_ sorry about that sir!" The young girl pulled on the harness, effectively pulling the excited pooch off her father's friend. 

Enrique merely wiped the dog slobber off his cheek, the smile never leaving his face, "It's fine...she reminds me of my son's dog actually." He explained while holding his hand out for Bree to sniff before gently scratching behind one of her floppy ears. 

"What breed of dog does your son have?" Gabriela heard her father ask. 

"He's got a Xolo. It's a hairless breed." 

 Gabriela's father blinked, "No kidding? I've heard those are supper rare! Where'd you all get him?" 

"Believe it or not, Dante was a street dog that Miguel, my son, named. It wasn't until last year we made Dante an official part of our family." Enrique explained, watching Bree sniff at his shoes. 

"And nobody adopted him before then?" Gabriela would have thought that anyone would jump at the chance of owning a rare breed of dog, especially if it was for free. 

"I guess the hairless aspect was off putting for most." Her father reasoned. 

Enrique shrugged, "We didn't think much of him at first, but after an incident a couple of years ago..." he drifted off, obviously getting lot in his own memory. 

Gabriela and her dad decided not to press the man further, not until they formed a stronger friendship, and only if the man were willing to share the story. 

'I wonder what happened?' the young teenager pondered as she got Bree to settle down.

Enrique shook his head as if trying to banish whatever memory he was lost in and turned back to Gabriela, "My son left earlier today to play with his cousins. If you're still going out to explore you might find them in Mariachi Plaza...or just look for Dante. If you find Dante, Miguel shouldn't be too far off."

Gabriela looked up at her dad, "Mom already gave the okay, but is it okay with you dad?"

Her father gave her back a reassuring pat, "Of course mija, go and make some new friends. You're mom and I can finish up here."

"Thanks dad! Bye Mr. Rivera!"

The two men waved good-bye before resuming their previous conversation.

* * *

Gabriela's eyes raised as she took in the colorful sights of the town.

Everywhere she looked, people hustled about, going about their business, stopping every so often to chat with friends or customers. 

'It's kind of like San Antonio, but with less cars...and modern buildings.' Gabriela noted as she guided her dog along the street, occasionally tugging on the leash in an attempt to keep Bree from approaching strangers that may not be too keen on having an unfamiliar dog invading their personal space.

Despite the isolated feel the town gave, it did have that peaceful, charming aura that her mother had mentioned.

In fact, if Gabriela was honest, she kinda liked the slower pace this place gave out...too bad she had to leave her friends and the rest of her family behind...

A bark from Bree pulled her from her thoughts, and Gabriela was surprised to see a medium sized, grey, _furless_ dog with an _incredibly_ long tongue, standing only a few feet away from them.

"Hello...strange doggie..." Gabriela greeted, pulling Bree closer to her.

She was a bit uneasy about being so close to a strange dog...what if he hadn't had his shots or something?

She looked over the dog again and then blinked when a sudden thought occurred to her.

Didn't Mr. Rivera say his son owned some kind of hairless dog? 

"Dante?" She tested. 

The dog gave a cheerful bark and lowered himself into a playful bow, tail wagging non-stop.

Bree mimicked his actions, giving a longing whine as she did so. She was ready to play with this potential new friend!

"Dante!

 Gabriela and Bree jumped at the shout while Dante perked up at the sound. 

A young boy in a black shirt came sprinting down the street, behind him was a girl that looked his age, a book tucked underneath one arm, and bounding close behind her was an older boy, carrying a soccer ball.  

 Gabriela took a tentative step back as the trio stopped before her. The boy in black stopped besides 'Dante' and placed a gentle hand of the dog's head. 

"Dante I told you, you can't just wonder on your own anymore boy!" 

The boy looked up and saw Gabriela and Bree watching him, "Oh! Hi um...Dante wasn't bothering you, was he?" 

 "N-no, he just surprised me that's all. This is your dog?" 

Miguel nodded, "Yeah this is Dante." 

Gabriela gave a confident smile, "Then I guess you're Miguel." 

The boy blinked before nodding, "Y-yeah...how did you-"

"I just met your dad. He told me about you and your dog." Gabriela took a moment to point in the direction she and Bree had came from, "We're the new family in town. We moved in a couple of days ago." 

The girl behind Miguel stepped forward, "That's right, Miguel's dad mentioned it to our family a while back. You're from Texas right?" 

Gabriela nodded, "San Antonio, Texas."  

"So what are you doing all the way out here?" The elder boy of the trio questioned. 

"Well...I guess dad just wanted a change. Mom went along with it, and I...was brought along for the ride." Gabriela paused before adding, "If your next question is 'why here', then the only explanation is that my dad's great grandpa used to live here or something so...here we are." 

"Aww, I think that's sweet your dad wanted to move back to his ancestor's home town." Rosa gushed. 

Gabriela resisted rolling her eyes, "It would've been nicer if we actually knew more about him." 

Miguel tilted his head, "You're family doesn't talk about him much?" 

"After he got my great-great grandma pregnant and refused to help raise the baby, he uh...well, he wasn't well thought of, so there's really no stories of him to share." Gabriela shrugged. 

"Oh..." 

"Hey um...since you're new and all," Rosa started, trying to change the subject, "why don't my cousins and I show you around town?" Miguel nodded enthusiastically, 

"We'll show you all the fun places!" he added. 

Gabriela lit up. Familiarizing herself around the town would be a lot easier if she had her own, private tour guides, so she agreed. "Sure that sounds great!" 

The cousins beamed and they moved to either side of her. 

Miguel, who stood to Gabriela's left motioned to her right, "That's Rosa by the way, " he jerked his thumb behind them, "that's Abel, and you already know Dante." he pointed to his dog, who seemed to be making fast friends with Bree. 

"I'm Gabriela." She introduced. 

"Gabriela? That's a pretty name." Miguel mused, only to realize he said so out loud. A deep blush formed on his cheeks. 

Gabriela giggled, "Miguel's a nice name too." 

For the next few seconds, the two young teens simply stared and grinned at each other before Rosa cleared her throat, "Shall we?" 

Miguel and Gabriela broke eye contact and nodded, "Lead the way!"

With that, the group marched forward, with Rosa chatting away about the history, customs and sights of the village, with Miguel and Abel adding their input every so often. 

Gabriela smiled. With new friends like these, maybe living here won't be so bad after all. 


	3. Chapter 3 coming soon! Author announcement!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First off: I'd like to give a big thanks to those that have been reading and commenting on this story! I'm so glad you all are enjoying it so far! :)
> 
> Second: I'd like to apologize for the wait. I'm not abandoning this story, nor have I lost any interest in continuing. It's just that things have been tense here in the States, what with the issue of Net Neutrality and all. As many of you know/heard, we lost our first battle yesterday when the FCC voted to repel Net Neutrality 3-2. It's a sad loss, but the war is not over, many (including myself) are doing all we can to save the internet (luckily Congress/the Senate seem to be on our side, so there is hope). So...yeah...i've been off stressing and fighting...
> 
> Anyway, since the repel obviously hasn't gone into effect, i'll try to post a chapter or two this weekend. Stay strong, and thanks for the support for this story! :)

Chapter 3 coming soon!


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